Welcome to the 4th Full Moon of the year. This is the Pink Moon, the time where in most place energies are bursting forth in nature. One walks down the sidewalk in Los Angeles and smells the fragrance of Jacaranda, and at night, the smells of trumpet flowers and jasmine. Parts of us are ready to burst forth and come out as well, ready to be worked with and ready to get stripped away.

One aspect that the Full Moon period can bring is one of illumination. Our senses are heightened; feelings can erupt almost spontaneously. We’ll have a twinge of surprising longing and wonder where it came from. Experience shows that the more we pay attention to these emotional impulses, experience them all the way through, and take note of them, the more these can serve as a guide to change, instead of just a random occurrence. Don’t brush them away—hold these thoughts and sensations under the lightbulb of your consciousness.

In the traditional Rider-Waite-Colman-Smith Tarot, the Moon card is one of the most surreal cards of the Major Arcana. It is a card of mystery, of journeys, cyclical transformations, and powerful inner change. A card about shadows: possible delusion and confusion, the shadow self, and the messages that are waiting in the dark. A little crawfish (or crab to symbolize Cancer; hundreds of years ago the symbol of Cancer appeared as more like a lobster or crawfish) starts to climb out of its watery natural state, to begin a journey on land. This creature knows there is more possible in the process of change. The journey of stretching out and expanding their horizons has begun. Two howling canines stand directly in front of the sea creature, representing the wild untamed state one must address before continuing on. Are these wolves harmful or a call to action? It depends on how we work with this energy.

When clients draw this card in a reading, I remind them that now is the time to shine a flashlight on the darker depths of their subconscious. It is a chance to examine the painful or awkward patterns and thoughts that pop up, time and time again, in order to release them or transform them into more constructive energy. This is an artistic, dreamy card as well. The surrealism depicted in the card encourages us to really go out there—to paint, draw, free write, get weird, enact the wild self, dance naked, go skinny dipping at midnight. Jump into another portal and see how that bodes. Rip a little hole in your reality, why don’t you?

This card also invites us to dive deep into the subconscious for clues and messages. This is the time to pay attention to dreams, to take note of repeated words that blaze out on billboards, on messages from spirit and energy, in whatever form they arrive. The call is to pay attention, and really go there with the attention. Awaiting the transformation, past the gates is a portal of illumination.

This is not always a fun process. Unlike the Fool, that extroverted seeker, the Moon’s journey in this case is about going deeper inside, examining from the inside out. Deep healing and transformation work is usually not a picnic. To get to the heart of the matter requires some painful dredging up. Staring into the face of unpleasant truths and moving through and past them. This card is about utilizing our best intuition in the service of evolution and shedding old narratives. Erin Telford of Radiant Heart Healing writes:

“If we want to evolve, we gotta look at our shadow and our pain and get real comfy and familiar with it. If you don’t it will keep you acting from the conditioning of your wounds. Transformation and alchemy sound sexy and magical but the deal is that something must die to make way for a new you. Let the inadequacy die. Let the fear die. Let the smallness die. Let the stagnancy die. Let the powerlessness die. Let victim and martyrdom die. Just let something die for good.” (For more of Erin’s word pearls, follow her on Instagram.)

One way to really know when to take notice of a certain theme or message coming to you three times, in a short period. The power of three has been worked with for centuries in the occult practices. In magick, 3 is the number of manifestation. The Triple Goddess—Maid, Mother, Crone—is worshipped by Pagans and Wiccans. It shows up in Christianity as the Holy Trinity, but we all know Christianity was derived from Pagan and regional Folk traditions. (It’s my personal favorite as it is really quite queer; 3 points make a triangle, and 3 transcends that stodgy, dusty, busted binary, hell yes!) To quote from Schoolhouse Rock, “Three is a Magic Number.”

When three people tell you the same specific thing, listen. When a book or record comes up in conversation, or on the web 3 times in a short period of time, buy it, if possible. That is an invitation to open a door and gain specific knowledge from spirit.

Last week I gave a reading in which the querent remarked that I was the 2nd Intuitive in the past few months to tell her two very specific messages. I told her about the power of three. I said, “Now, do you think you need one more witch to tell you the exact same information again before you decide to start acting on this?” She sat back for a minute and said: “I think I am the 3rd witch.”We laughed and hi-fived. Beautiful reader, you don’t have to wait for multiple witches to tell you the same piece of information that is scratching at your subconscious right now. Take note from my gorgeous, successful, and happy client and BE the witch! Be Your Own Witch! (Not to be confused with Bring Your Own Wormwood.)

During this time, why don’t you do your darndest to be aware of the negative things you tell yourself about yourself? To flip the script and work through those messages? To treat yourself as a beloved friend? During this time, think about who you listen to, and why. When painful feelings come up, can you acknowledge them, feel them, reflect on them, and leave them behind? Can you spend more time listening to your feelings, your intuition, and less time scrolling on your phone, looking for answers elsewhere, distracting yourself with white noise?

Try to spend this week with extra time alone, in quiet, meditating, journalling, singing, talking to yourself in the shower, talking to your best friend about vulnerable topics, going on walks, or however an intuitive connection is best derived. Open up 2 different books on your shelf and flip to a sentence. Go through the day with the intention to keep ears and eyes piqued in pursuit of synchronicity. Feel those feelings all the way, use them as guides to work through important issues. Know like the Triple Goddess and the Moon, you are the embodiment of a cycle. Love the person you are, the person you were, and the person you are becoming.

Toronto! Hiiii! This Saturday and Sunday I will be giving Tarot readings at Likely General from 12-4. You can either book a 25 or 50 minute session. You can email the store or call to reserve your slot. I’m so thrilled to meet you.